Tag Archives: Salad

Ramadan Kareem!

The holy month of Ramadan has graced us once again, and I pray that our fasts and prayers are accepted, and we leave the month renewed in faith and spirituality!

I had originally planned to post a recipe for every day of the month, but life got the best of me and I wasn’t able to prepare 30 days worth of recipes for the blog. I will however be posting family favorites regularly throughout the month, and I hope that you are able to take some inspiration from them 🙂

Recently I stopped by to pick up a few essential items from a local Indian grocer, and I stumbled upon freshly arrived mangoes! Now if you’re desi (person of South Asian descent), I’m sure you can imagine my excitement. If you’re not desi, let me explain: we live for mangoes. It’s in our DNA. The love for them courses through our blood.

We went through most of them as is, but I got creative with a few. Some were blitzed into milkshakes, and a few were chopped up and tossed into this delicious Mango Chickpea Salad (recipe from Green Evi). It’s amazing on its own, and would also pair well with a grilled protein as a main entrée.

I joined Daring Cooks several months back, but for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to participate in any of the challenges. When this month’s challenge was announced, creating homemade dressings/vinaigrettes, I was ready and raring for action! I love salads, and I used to eat at least one everyday, but lately I’ve been putting it off. I guess with the day-to-day craziness that I have going on, I’ve just been too lazy to want to peel, chop, and wash vegetables for a salad.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Daring Cooks is similar to Daring Bakers, which is a group of bloggers and non-bloggers who are assigned a “secret” challenge on the 17th of each month. The 14th of each month is the “reveal” day, in which those who blog can write about their experiences and recipes for the challenge.

For March’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge, Ruth, Shelley, and Sawsan asked us to totally veg out! We made salads and dressings, letting the sky be the limit as we created new flavors and combinations that reflect our own unique tastes. I decided to start the month by whipping up homemade buttermilk ranch dressing. The dressing was definitely easy to make, but something about the taste just wasn’t right. I decided to try again, and I made this delicious homemade Italian Style Vinaigrette. Needless to say, I’ve been back on track with salads at home (although now I cheat and buy premixed salads from the grocery store. Sshhh! It’s our little secret 😉 )

I’m so excited that now I’m on the hunt for a reliable ranch and ceasar dressing! Wish me luck! 🙂

Italian Style Vinaigrette

Yield: 1 Cup

Ingredients:

¾ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl or bottle. Whisk/shake well to combine. Allow the dressing to sit for a few hours before serving so that the flavors have some time to blend.

I think it’s time that I take a quick break from the highly caloric desserts I’ve been posting about recently, and share a favorite healthy recipe. This black bean and corn salad is a traditional American backyard barbeque staple. We love munching on it throughout the year, but it’s especially nice in the summer after a long day of fasting.

This gorgeous bowl was a gift to me from Asiya!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 (15.25 oz.) can black beans, drained and washed

1 (15.25 oz.) can corn, drained and washed

¼ cup onion, chopped finely

Handful cilantro, chopped finely

1 jalapeño, chopped finely

1 tomato, chopped finely

2 tablespoons lime juice (roughly one lime)

1 teaspoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cumin powder

Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Toss all of the ingredients together until well incorporated and refrigerate overnight for best results.